Summer ends, school begins

Miami East ready for new year

By Amy Barger - abarger@aimmedianetwork.com

CASSTOWN — The Miami East Local School District is less than a week away from beginning another year of learning and growing in the hearts and minds of students, and is taking the steps needed to have the district ready.

“We are just getting ready for the school year to begin,” Superintendent Dr. Todd Rappold said on Monday at the board of education meeting.

The first day of school for students is on Tuesday, Aug. 25, and will begin the first year to provide all day, every day kindergarten.

“We have had very positive comments from parents and community members about implementing all day, every day kindergarten,” Rappold said.

It was a challenge for kindergarten teachers to get 180 days of instruction into 90 days over the last few years and the teachers are excited with the change, Rappold said.

Staff will begin their first day of school this Friday for professional development, with some having the potential to receive a grant. The Miami County Education Foundation is looking to award over $3,000 in personnel grants on Monday to selected staff.

“The reason we have several different bakeries … with the nutritional guidelines, depending on what we’re serving, Klosterman’s will provide the protein carbohydrate bun for one specific meal, while Nickles provides a separate one for something different … trying to keep all of those meals within carbohydrate nutritional protein fat count becomes a little bit of a challenge,” Rappold said.

The substitute teacher daily rate pay for the upcoming year was approved at $80 per day through the 10th consecutive day and $85 per day from the 11th day through 60 days in the same position, and then placed on beginning salary schedule.

“Those (sub rate) numbers put us pretty much in the middle (with other districts),” Rappold said. “We have not raised the sub pay rate in 13 years. It’s fair as far as the average in our area.”

The board accepted a donation of $1,210.75 from the Miami County Park District for the Environmental Education Grant for grades K-5 for transportation expenses for environmental field trips.

“Thank you so much to the public for our schoolchildren to have the opportunity to experience environmental field trips,” Treasurer Lisa Fahncke said.

The board approved the following agenda items:

Board President Mark Davis as delegate and board member Brandon Fellers as alternate to the Ohio School Board Association capital conference to be held Nov. 8-11 in Columbus.

Rappold appointed as the 2015-16 district anti-harassment compliant officer.